What is Your Fire Sprinkler Systems Life Expectancy
There were an estimated 111,000 non-residential fires in 2020. With those high numbers, it’s not a good idea to leave your building’s safety to chance. You have to make sure that your building’s fire sprinkler systems are in their best condition 24/7.
To do this, you have to know your fire sprinkler systems life expectancy. Then, you can know when you need to replace the system. Read on to learn about the lifespans of different systems and what affects their longevity.
Wet Water Systems vs Dry Water Systems
The liquids and/or chemicals that your fire sprinkler system holds affect its life expectancy greatly. There are plenty of systems that hold gases such as carbon dioxide. However, most fire sprinkler systems use water to suppress fire disasters.
Beyond the category of a fire sprinkler system that uses water, there are two subcategories. These are the wet water systems and the dry water systems. What makes the two of these different depends on the mechanisms and materials within the fire suppression system.
In a wet water system, the pipes of a fire suppression system are only filled with water. After the detectors detect smoke, the sprinklers will drop water on the fire.
A dry water system, in contrast, prevents water from sitting in the pipes for too long. It does this by putting pressurized air or nitrogen in the pipes. When the system detects a fire, it removes the air and allows the water to flow through.
Which Fire Sprinkler Systems Life Expectancy Is Longer?
Dry water systems have at least one benefit that wet ones don’t. Having air inside of the pipes instead of water prevents the water from freezing. If the water freezes inside of a wet water system, it may not work when it’s needed.
However, there is one benefit that a wet water system has that a dry one doesn’t: a longer lifespan. A wet system can start having problems in 15 to 25 years while a dry system starts having problems at around 8 to 12 years.
The reason is due to the difference in chemicals. The oxygen present in pressurized air can corrode the metal in fire sprinkler systems quickly.
What Can Prolong the Life Expectancy?
It’s important to get a high-quality fire sprinkler system in the first place. Beyond that, it’s important to hire professionals to inspect your system at regular intervals. Experts recommend that commercial building managers get fire suppression system inspections performed every five years or so.
If you do this, these professionals can tell you when it’s time for a repair or replacement. This way, you won’t get caught off-guard when there’s a fire and your system fails to work.
Hire Us to Install and Maintain High-Quality Fire Protection Systems
In the end, you probably paid a lot to have your fire protection systems installed. It’s best to protect that investment.
We can help you do that. For nearly 20 years, we’ve been providing the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas with high-quality fire protection installations and maintenance. If you need our services, contact us today.